GOP primary voters back candidates who support Israel, denounce antisemitism, poll finds

US Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R), Republican from Louisiana, shakes hands with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as they speak to the press at the US Capitol following their closed-door meeting in Washington, February 7, 2025; illustrative.

(photo credit: Oliver Contreras / AFP via Getty Images)

A majority of Republican primary voters have maintained a deep level of support for Israel, amid an ascendancy of anti-Israel Democratic primary winners, a poll published by the Washington Free Beacon on Monday found.

The poll was conducted between June 5-9, the outlet noted, before a wave of anti-Israel Democratic candidates won their primaries across the US, particularly in New York and Colorado.

 

The poll found that likely Republican primary voters would prefer a candidate who supports a strong US-Israel relationship by a 57% margin, and one who explicitly denounces antisemitism by a 52% margin.

Respondents also said that they were less likely to support a candidate who described Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as a war criminal (25% margin), for someone who takes steps to economically isolate Israel (43% margin), or for someone who votes against congressional resolutions denouncing antisemitism (43% margin), the poll found.